Friday, November 13, 2009

Below is the letter to the editor in Tuesday’s Cairns Post by Werner Sandner, Woree. I’m amazed that the Cairns Post editor gave this letter the prominence of the “Editors Pick.” My reply to this letter was emasculated by the editor, a well-known proclivity of the Cairns Post. I had no choice, but to publish Sandner’s letter and my full reply in my blog. – Werner

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Werner Sandner’s letter, I Quote:

“Refugee fear can turn government.

THE Rudd Labor Gov­ernment is facing a di­lemma: it needs to let refugees come into Aus­tralia, but can't due to the pathetic fears of the public, which is more based on lack of knowl­edge, education and the consequent paranoia.

Australians really are not compassionate people, even though many think they are.

As far as they are concerned, these refu­gees are something sub­human and someone may just as well put them to the wall and shoot them. This is un­fortunate, but a fact and the Government cannot ignore it.

If the Rudd Govern­ment lets these unfor­tunate souls into this country, it will face eventual defeat, because the Opposition has noth­ing else to offer to ordi­nary Australians other than the fear of terror­ism, the fear of weap­ons of mass destruction and, most of all, the fear of refugees.

We have seen how long the previous gov­ernment has lasted and managed to make a few rich Australians richer (for example, by topping up their super, giving them health insurance rebates) at the cost of our public welfare and health care system.

They managed to put a blanket of fear over their disgusting poli­cies by creating fear in most Australians about refugees, about terror­ism and weapons of mass destruction.

This worked under John Howard and it will work well again under Malcolm Turnbull.

I hate to say it, but I hope the present Rudd Government will not let those poor refugees into Australia because I don't think this country can yet afford another Liberal-National coali­tion government. - Werner Sandner, Woree.” Unquote

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Here is my full reply. Hopefully you will reply to Sandner's letter too. - Werner

The Editor

The Cairns Post

Dear Sir or Madam, Letters to the editor

Werner Sandner, “Refugees fear can turn Government” CP 10.11.09. His letter really incensed me to boiling point, and wrenched my gut, and that is an understatement. If there were a prize for claptrap, he would win it hands down.

To say that Australians are not passionate is a breathtaking insult to us all. Look at the billion we squander to help foreign countries in distress or having a natural disaster, the bulk of the popularities of those countries don’t even know that we gave assistance and many hate us despite our generosity. This is like feeding a crocodile, but it will never become your friend.

I agree with the John Howard doctrine, “We decide who comes to this country and under what circumstances? We came here under this ruling, we had no trouble with it, are happy to be here and are fully integrated into the Australian community, we have no divided loyalties, but are still proud of our heritage.

Werner Sandner, you should go back to Austria if you can’t bear a coalition government in Australia and tell the Austrian government to take in every "poor downtrodden" Muslim that appears on their doorstep.

Your beloved Rudd government inherited over ninety billions from the previous coalition government, this has gone, they are squandering more money in Afghanistan, Timor, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to name a few. Where do we get the money from? Borrowing from the World Bank of course, and we are getting in debt over our eyeballs and the time will come when the World Bank will dictate to us to tighten our belts; pay back debt and reduce the pension, which also comes now from borrowed money.

And once again, Werner Sandner, if you don’t like it here, go back to Austria, we have enough non-Australians whingers here, like you.

Sincerely yours,Werner Schmidlin

My thought for today. - Werner

There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us. That it hardly behoves any of us, to talk about the rest of us.

2 comments:

Proud Aussie family
said...

Mr. Sandner, how dare you to accuse us of not being passionate, the aggressive and unmitigated effrontery of those boat people dictating their terms to the Australian and Indonesian governments is beyond the pale. Do we want such people in Australia who make demands before they are even here? No way, we want to preserve our Australian heritage and our way of life.

Mr Sandner claims this country can't afford another Liberal-National coalition government! How does he figure that? To me it seems quite the opposite - both federally and certainly in Queensland. Liberal-National governments seem much more able to "balance the books" without sending the country and state into unfathomable debt, and without selling off our major assets.

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About Me

A long-time resident of North Queensland. Australian citizen since 1959. I was born in Freiburg (Black Forest) Germany and grew up in Bischoffingen, a picturesque village on the Kaiserstuhl and a well-known wine growing area, on the upper Rhine, which is the German/French border. I migrated to Australia in 1954, with my wife Karola and 14 months old daughter Sonja. We have lived in Yorkeys Knob Qld since 1971. Two further children were born in Australia, Doris was born in Coffs Harbour NSW and Peter in Yarram Victoria